It is known to provide automotive interiors with various trim assemblies to improve the aesthetic appearance of the automotive interior and for the comfort and convenience of vehicle occupants. Examples of these interior trim assemblies include the instrument panels, armrests, door trim panels and consoles. For example, armrests are typically secured to a vertical panel of the automotive interior such as a door panel and project inboard from the door trim panel to provide a convenient rest for an occupant's arm. To further increase the aesthetic appearance of the trim assemblies and to improve the comfort and convenience to vehicle occupants, it is often desired to form at least portions of the trim assemblies with areas which are soft to the touch. Typically, these soft areas have been formed by providing a resilient padding material beneath a pliable surface layer such as leather, vinyl, or fabric material.
One conventional method of forming a trim assembly with padded material includes injecting a foam material between a rigid substrate and a skin layer joined to the substrate. In another conventional method, a preformed, soft, resilient pad is secured to a rigid plastic shell and a pliable skin layer is stretched over the pad and secured to the shell to form the trim assembly. These prior methods are generally costly due to the multiple components and manufacturing steps required to make the padded trim assemblies.
Various other trim assemblies have been manufactured using a two-shot molding process wherein a relatively soft skin layer is formed over a hard substrate material without padding. The substrate and skin layer are formed so as to provide a recess or cavity for inserting a resilient padding material that provides a soft feel to the trim assembly. To insert the padding material into the recess, the padding material is secured to a top surface of a rigid pad carrier which facilitates the insertion of the pad material into the cavity. A separate closeout or door panel then couples to the substrate to cover the opening to the cavity and enclose the pad carrier and pad material within the cavity. Inserting the pad material into trim assemblies and securing the pad material and pad carrier therein requires additional components that increase the overall manufacturing cost of the trim assemblies.
There is thus a need for an improved trim assembly and a method for inserting foam padding into a trim assembly that reduces the number of components and further reduces manufacturing costs.